Review: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (2022)

Blurb

In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Only I know the truth of her disappearance.
I’m no Hercule Poirot.
I’m her husband’s mistress.

Agatha Christie’s world is one of glamorous society parties, country house weekends, and growing literary fame.

Nan O’Dea’s world is something very different. Her attempts to escape a tough London upbringing during the Great War led to a life in Ireland marred by a hidden tragedy.

After fighting her way back to England, she’s set her sights on Agatha. Because Agatha Christie has something Nan wants. And it’s not just her husband.

Despite their differences, the two women will become the most unlikely of allies. And during the mysterious eleven days that Agatha goes missing, they will unravel a dark secret that only Nan holds the key to…

Review

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a beautiful proof copy of The Christie Affair in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel – although it turned out to be quite different from what I was expecting. I had imagined that Agatha would be the main focus, and that it would be a twisty, Christie-esque unravelling of the mystery of her disappearance. However, it becomes clear that this is really Nan’s story, and that Nan’s affair with Agatha’s husband is only a very small piece in the puzzle.

This is a tough book to review as I don’t want to give anything away – the sections set in Ireland had some parallels to another book I read in 2021, but if I name it, it may give the game away! So I shall stick to being vague and cryptic, and merely state that I don’t think you’ll see where this one is going until quite near the end (which is quite Christie-esque in itself!).

There are some enjoyable characters – I particularly liked Inspector Chilton – and the story rattles along at a good pace. There are a lot of coincidences, up and and down the country, and at times it was perhaps just a stretch too far for me. I didn’t get the insight into Agatha Christie as a character that I was hoping for, but Nan is a fascinating protagonist, with a complex, moving story that is well worth reading.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is published by Mantle on 20th January 2022 and is available to pre-order here.